Run That By Me Again
by SilverHeart09
Summary: The ending of Iron Man 2 taken from Tony's POV. MAJOR Iron Man 2 and Pepperony spoilers! But please feel free to review :


_It took ages trailing through the footage to get the speech exactly right but I've done it :) MAJOR spoilers for the end of Iron Man 2! All of this is completely true to the script so don't say I didn't warn you in advance! This is taken from Tony's POV from when he grabs Pepper, saves her from the explosion, flies off with her and lands on a roof._

_Please review :) I want to know how I did with Tony's thoughts _

Ow! The circuits in the helmet must have short circuited and the sparks are seriously hurting. I've got to get this thing off, I _need _to see if Pepper's okay, I mean I can't think of any reason why she wouldn't be unless she was traumatised from flying through the air which is possible I guess although personally I think it's quite fun.

Thank God! One good tug and the helmet is off, that is so much better, I chuck it on the ground and look at Pepper, who appears to be in Pepper Panic Mode.

'Oh my God! I can't take this any more!' _No..._

'You can't...?'

'I can't take this.'

She has to be kidding! At least she's not the one with sparks flying out of her arse! 'What do you, look at me!'I am _way _worse then she is! I can feel the sparks from the suit tingling on my cheeks.

'My body can literally not handle the stress. I never know if you're gonna kill yourself or, or, or wreck the whole company.' Oh Pepper, you really do care.

'I think I did, I think I did okay!'

'I, I quit, I'm resigning. That's it.' Utter shock fills me completely. You have GOT to be kidding me... did she just say what I think she just said?

'What did you just say? You're done? Surprising. I'm not sur... s'not surprising. Okay, you don't have to make any excuses.' It isn't surprising at all, thinking about it, I always knew I'd drive her over the edge.

'I... I... I'm not making excuses.' Surely that counts as an excuse...?

'Well you actually were just making excuses but you don't have to.'

'I'm not making any excuses because I'm actually very justified, I...' Justified? I believe everything you say, Pepper, always have done, even though I'll deny it till I'm blue in the face.

'Listen, hey hey hey, you deserve better.' She does, she truly does. I've screwed her around so many times by not turning up to meetings I'm supposed to turn up too and generally letting her down. I don't know why she's put up with me all these years, unless... unless she's leaving because of me... but in a different way then I thinks... I mean if she's worried that I'm going to die then surely...

'Well...' No, don't you dare even _try _to argue.

'You've taken such good care of me. Been in a tough spot but you got me through it... so? Right?' Don't go, Pepper, please, I need you. Don't leave me.

'Thank you.'

'Yeah.' What else can I say? My best friend wants to leave and it isn't my place to stop her. Although I'm damned if I'm going to let her go without a fight, there's something on the edge of my mind that I just can't take hold of... what's the correlation between me and Pepper? What is it that I keep missing? Why do I want her to stay so much?

'Thank you for understanding.'

_Stall, Stark, stall... _'Yeah yeah, let's talk, uh, let's talk clean-up.' Great stalling tactic. I should put that in a book, maybe I'll call it _'Ways to stop your best friend from leaving you,' _by A.E. Stark. Catchy, I like it.

'I'll handle the transitional...'

_Keep stalling. _'Okay, what about the press? Because we only have the drop for a week that's going to...' _What is it that I'm missing? _I need her in another way but I can't focus on it, it's there but it isn't there, why do I need her so much...

'What with you it's like dog years.' Why? What is it? Why am I so desperate for Pepper to stay.

'I know.'

'I mean, it's like the president...'

_Because I love her._

I do the only thing I can think of, I lean down and I kiss her, desperately, urgently while the whole time my mind is screaming at me _don't let her go, don't let her go._ To my surprise... or maybe not to my surprise? Was I expecting it? Is this the reaction I thought I'd get? Either way, she leans her head up for her lips to meet mine quicker. I can feel my head thumping through my armour and I thank God, Fury, Agent Romanoff, the _tooth fairy _that I still have a heart which I can feel and therefore give to Pepper. She tastes like cheery and she's warm, I can feel her heart beating in sync with mine even through my armour. My heart is on fire, I wrap my armoured hands around her waist, not too tight, I don't want to break her spine now that I've finally admitted my feelings to her, well- kind of admitted, I mean I'm kissing her aren't I? I feel her hand reach up to stroke my hair and trail down my jaw onto my chest piece. I pull her tighter and kiss her harder, feeling her heart beat faster through her skin.

She pulls away, and I'm left with a warm fuzzy feeling that I only remember experiencing once before. _'You're all I have too you know.' _That... was totally odd. Not that I regret it though, or do I? Actually I'm really confused right now, but Pepper is looking at me with big warm eyes and... she is so beautiful right now, I realise she still has her hand on my chest piece and I still have mine around her waist. But that was...

'Weird.'

'No, it's not weird.' Oh, okay that's good, as long as Pepper doesn't think that was weird then I am totally fine.

'It's okay right?'

'Yeah.'

Oh Pepper, I don't think you've ever been as beautiful as you are now. Come and get it gorgeous. 'Run that by me again.'

Our lips have barely touched when I hear a voice from behind us.

'I think it was weird.'

Rhodey. Get screwed.

'You two look like two seals fighting over a grape.' What kind of a simile is that? Has he ever actually SEEN two seals fighting over a grape? And if so, why? Why would you want to watch that in your spare time?

'I... had just quit, actually so...' Good old Pepper, justifying kissing her ex-boss, although personally that wouldn't have bothered me in the slightest, although I think I should probably join in too just in case Pepper expects me too.

'Yeah, so we're not...'

'You don't have to do that, I, I heard the whole thing.' Right. Rhodey, you need to go away now.

'You should get lost.'

'I was here first! Get a roof!' Get a roof? That's actually quite funny, Pepper is laughing anyway.

'I thought you were out of one-liners?'

'That was the last one.' So glad, words cannot express just how glad I am to hear that.

'You kicked ass back there by the way.' Not as much ass as me but hey, no-one's perfect right?

'Thank you, you too. Listen... my car got taken out in the explosion so I'm gonna to have to hang on to your suit for a minute, okay?' Absolutely not. I want that suit back NOW Rhodes.

'Not okay, not okay with that.'

'Wasn't a question.' He just flew off! How annoying! But on the plus side, at least it means that I'm alone with Pepper now. She turns back to me and I swear she's never been so beautiful, or at least- If she was I hadn't noticed until now, because, in fairness, she's always beautiful.

'How are you going to resign? I don't accept.'

Pepper laughs and I take hold of her hands. This is my future now, with Pepper by my side. I can cope now, no more alcohol, no more women, unless their name is Pepper.


End file.
